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unirsi) sTATns PATENT orrionf REUBEN MILLER, OF P'ITTSBURG,PENNSiYLVL-XIA.`

GUT-OFF APPARATUS Fon STEAM-ENGINES.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No.` 26,281, dated November 29, 1859.1` `1To all whom it may concern. i

Be it known that I, REUBEN MILLER, of Pittsburg, in thecountyofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Cut-Oil Gear for Steam-Engines;I and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of thesame,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, `forming part of thisspeciication, in whichl Figure l is a plan view representing theapplication of' my invention to a horizontal engine. Fig. 2 is a plan`view representing one of the tappet levers, by which the cutting oil ofthe steamis eliected, detached from the engine.

Similar letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in both thefigures.

My invention consists in a novel system y of tappet lgear for eifectingthe operation of the cut-oil by the direct action of the piston rod orcross-head, whereby I am enabled to vary the cutting off of the steambetween about one-eighth (gg) and `seveneighths (gof the stroke of thepiston.

To enab e others to make and use my invention I will proceed to describeits construction and operation.

A, is the piston rod, and B, the cross-head.`

C, 0, are the xed parallel guide bars on which the cross-head works.

D, is a sliding rod which works the cutoff valve or valves, arrangedparallel with the piston rod in guides a, a, supported upon the guidebar C.

The cut-off valve of valves may be of any kind, but must be so appliedand connected with the rod as to be opened to effect the induction ofsteam to the engine by a movement of the said rod in either direction,and closed to cut off the steam by a further movement of the said rod inthe same direction in which it last moved to effect the induction.

E, is a piece of steel, or wrought iron secured to the cross-head forthe purpose of operating the tappets. l i

F, F, are two tappets which are fast on the rod D, and upon which thepiece E, operates to open the valve or valves at the termination of eachstroke of the piston for the purpose: of eHecting the i induction ofsteam for the succeeding stroke. i

Gr, G', are two collars fitted to the rod D, so as to be adjustable atdilferent points between the tappets F, F', and urnishedwith set screws,or their equivalents, by which" they are capable" of" being secured to ithe i said rod, in any position to which they may" j be adjusted. Eachof these collars has two j projections b, b, between which are receivedl the extremity of lone `of two tappet levers H, H, which are tted onAE`fulcrum studs c, c', which are `secured firmly" to the guide` bar C',but which are *adjustable in lines' parallel,with the pistonrod,\such"adjust ment being provided for by fitting them `to a slot cl,in the said guide bar, "andwsecurinff them by screws and nuts below.`These j j versare each furnished with a detached a i 1 e, fitted asshown in Fig.f2 to fulcrum` stud, and having applied to it a springf,which presses it toward a `stop piece g, provided on the main portionofthe lever.u

The collars G, G', are adjusted at greater l or less distances from thetappets F,'F,` according as the cutting oil is required to` take lacelater or earlier in the stroke of the plston, andthe fulcrum studs c, c,of the levers H, H, `are adjusted nearer together or farther apart sothat the distance between" y them may always correspond with the disitance between the collars Gr, G.

Fig. l of the drawing represents an ad-` justment for cutting oi sometime after half` stroke, and the condition ofthe parts rep- Y@ jresented in black outlineis that when .the j piston rod has justcompleted its stroketo the rig-ht as indicated by the arrow, and the l.piece 4, `by its actionon the tappetF, has j moved the rod D, far enoughto open the` s valve for the induction of the steam for the l returnstroke of the piston. In returning, the piece E, strikes the`independent arm 6,9` of-the tappet lever H', and moves it aside i jwithout movin@ the main` part of the said j lever or distur ing the rod`D, which remains `stationar with the valveopen till the said piece l5,strikes thearm e, of the tappet lever H, when bypressing the said., armagainst the stop g, it moves the main j portion of the lever totheposition shown l j in red outline before it passes, and so moves` E therod D, in the same direction as before i far enough to close thevalveland cutfo` y steam. As this stroke terminates the piece j E, comesinto operationen the `tappet F, and` j carries the rod D, with itfarenough to open I` v the valve again togadmit steamfor the suc#` oeedingstroke in the'directionoffthe arrow.` In this stroke the piece'E, movesaside the j i. arm e, of the tappet lever H, without mov` i l ing thesaid lever or the valve rod, but presses the corresponding arm of thelever H, against its stop g, and moves that lever, and so moves thevalve rod farther in the same direction as it was moved by the action ofthe piece E, on the tappet F, and closes the Valve. In this manner theoperation of the valve is caused to be repeated during each stroke ofthe piston, the arms e, e, beingalways moved back to their respectivestops g, g, by their sprin s f, f, when the piece E, has passed them ater having moved them aside Without operating the levers.

To cut 0E exactly at half-stroke one of the collars G, G', and one ofthe tappet levers H, H', only are used,- the collar being placed midwaybetween the tappets F, F, and the fulcrum of the tappet lever oppositeto the center of the stroke of the cross-head, and the arm e, isfastened rigidly to the main portion of the lever.- But to cut o withinhalf-stroke the two collars and two levers are used; the levers in thatcase, however, requiring 'to change places with each other from thoserepresented in the drawing, that the piece E, may operate upon the lirstlever it comes in contact with, and move aside the arm e, of the secondone .without acting on the main portion of the lever.

This cut-ofi' is applicable' either to direct action engines, that is tosay engines which have no rotating shaft 0r to engines with a shaft; andVwhen ap lied to the latter kind operates equally wel without anyadjustment whichever Way the engine is going.

I do not claim working Vthe valves of steam engines by means of tappets;but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The employment in combination with the tappets F, F for opening thevalve to effect the induction of steam, of the collars Gr, G', attachedto the same valve rod, and the tappet levers H, H', with independentarms g, g, said collars and tappet levers being applied and operatingsubstantially as herein described to eect the cutting off the steam atsuch point in the stroke of the piston as may be desired. v

REUBEN MILLER.

Witnesses:

ANDREW J. LEE, WILSON MILLER.

